Being more confident is the desire of many people. This ensures better social interaction, better performance in professional life and high self-esteem.

But we don’t usually experience this way. There’s no way to turn a switch and say, “Okay, now I’m extra confident!” However, that is a function that, although it comes greater evidently to some than to others, can be labored on and stepped forward at some point of lifestyles.

This article will talk about improving confidence. What steps can we take to increase our confidence?

But before we talk about transformative attitudes, we need to understand the consequences of a lack of security and the factors that lead to this feeling. Check it out!

Consequences of lack of trust

Insecurity can serve as a basis for the emergence of other illnesses, for example, depression.

In addition, the individual may also develop some anxiety disorder, especially socio-evaluative anxiety. Insecure people are always worried about what people will think of them, whether they will be considered inferior or incapable, and in a social context this feeling worsens.

The domino impact does not prevent there. Just as a lack of self belief can trigger melancholy and tension, those ailments can also cause different illnesses.

Due to the steady kingdom of alert and tension that anxiety reasons in the challenge, it may function a cause for bruxism, a condition wherein the person starts of evolved to grind or clench their enamel unconsciously.

Teeth clenching – which also occurs during the day – is the way the individual finds to get rid of all this tension, this habit is called waking bruxism .

Awake bruxism, in turn, is linked to the onset of tension headache : a type of headache caused by muscle tension and continuous hyperactivity of the facial muscles.

With so many actions being deposited in the jaw region, it is to be expected that severe pain will begin to arise in this region.

Why do we feel insecure?

Several factors can lead to a lack of confidence: it could be family structure, historical and cultural context or even physiological issues. Fear of rejection, criticism or loneliness are also responsible for generating insecurity.

Basically, feelings of inadequacy and inferiority, need for approval, and emotional fear are the roots of lack of confidence.

In addition, many people may have been raised by very insecure or repressive parents, while others may have suffered trauma in adulthood. These situations can also trigger this condition.

Real fear vs. emotional fear

Fear in certain doses is very important. It is that alarm that goes off when we are in threatening situations and awakens in us the fight or flight reaction. In other words, when we feel fear, our body prepares to defend itself.

Therefore, it is natural for an individual to be afraid of heights, of certain animals, of walking alone at night or even of losing their job or a loved one. This type of fear serves to protect you.

The problem starts when it becomes something emotionally exacerbated, beyond the real situation, and generates insecurity.

How to feel more confident

Small changes can go a long way in boosting your self-esteem. Below we have selected some habits that you can incorporate into your routine and that will make you feel more confident. Check them out below!

Improve your posture

According to Amy Cuddy, a sociologist at Harvard University, you should stand in front of a mirror and keep your chest out, spine straight, feet apart and hands on your hips for 5 minutes a day or before important situations.

The sociologist says this is a foolproof method to make you feel more confident. The famous poses of Wonder Woman and Superman help you convey a message of seriousness, power and control.

Do this, for example, before presenting a project, attending an important meeting, teaching a class or giving a lecture. Also, during this time, in front of the mirror, you should visualize positive reactions to your achievements.

You may be skeptical about the results of this method, but Harvard research confirms that it works. This is because the positions of our bodies are related to the production of hormones that govern behavior.

By staying in this position, your testosterone levels increase by up to 20%, meaning you automatically feel more confident.

Behavior is a reflection of emotion, which is why insecurity manifests itself in posture. However, this reflection is a two-way street. If, despite your insecurity, you choose to change your posture, the opposite happens, and your posture ends up influencing your emotions.

Maintain correct posture throughout the day

There is no point in doing the previous exercise for five minutes and maintaining bad posture for the rest of the day. To feel more confident, and to make people around you notice it too, your posture has to be impeccable.

Have you ever seen an influential person with a crooked posture, with their arms crossed or their head down? You’ve never seen that, have you?

So if you want to be seen as a confident person, your posture must be correct. Body language says a lot about an individual, and studies show that it only takes a few seconds for people to form an opinion about us.

Do physical exercises

Improving your posture does not show up overnight. It often takes years of incorrect posture, so it is not enough to just awaken one day and decide to trade it.

Your frame is already used to this, so the change need to be slow. Start through tracking your self; you’ll observe that, before you are aware of it, your frame has already returned to the wrong posture.

Exercising also helps a lot, especially those that stretch the body, such as yoga, ballet and pilates.

Dancing also improves self-esteem, because with each step you master you gain more confidence and this automatically reflects in other areas of your life. Furthermore, dancing is a social activity and socializing also helps to improve self-confidence.

Other tips to feel more confident

In addition to the tips mentioned above, it is important to invest in knowledge. Mastering the topic you are talking about, in any environment, from a simple chat to a very important presentation, will make you feel more comfortable in that context.

Taking care of your appearance and dressing appropriately in each environment are also attitudes that greatly contribute to improving self-esteem. This way, you will be more comfortable in your own skin.

Finally, we cannot fail to mention that even your posture while sleeping is related to self-confidence.

According to researcher Amy Cuddy, mentioned above, sleeping in the fetal position is not very beneficial. According to her, the ideal is to lie down with your legs and arms open. The expansive posture will make you feel more powerful and larger.